The present invention relates generally to children's ride-on vehicles. More specifically, the invention concerns a children's ride-on vehicle having a single, central axle mounting two parallel, coaxially rotatable, reversible wheels driven separately by two independently controlled battery-powered motors which can be operated by a child for forward and reverse travel, left and right turning, and clockwise or counterclockwise spinning about a central point.
Children's ride-on vehicles have proliferated in recent years, often imitating on a smaller scale the features of full-size vehicles. The vehicles generally have two rear wheels driven by one or two motors powered by one or two batteries and one or two front wheels steered by handlebars or a steering wheel. To operate the vehicle, a child selects the speed and direction for the rear wheels with switches, presses and holds a power switch, and steers with the handlebars or steering wheel, mimicking the operation of a full-size vehicle.
The present invention, however, provides a new vehicle, wholly unlike grown-ups' vehicles in both appearance and function. In this vehicle, the handlebar or steering wheel are eliminated and, instead, the driver controls the vehicle with two joysticks, one for each hand. The normal body is eliminated in favor of a generally circular body with an axle across a diameter and the wheels mounted parallel to one another at the ends of the axle roughly at an outer edge of the circular body. A seat within the circle is surrounded around three-quarters of the circle by high sidewalls topped by armrests mounting the joysticks.
Each joystick has three positions, neutral, reverse, and forward and the child can press both forward to go forward, press both in reverse to go backwards, press one forward and one in reverse to spin clockwise or counterclockwise about a central point, or press one in forward or reverse and leave the other in neutral, allowing coasting of the associated wheel for turning in a gentle arcing fashion. Moving both joysticks to neutral allows coasting of the vehicle while a foot pedal is depressed.
Each joystick controls a permanent-magnet DC electric motor, with one motor being provided for each of the two driven wheels. Each motor is wired to rotate in a first direction with its associated joystick pressed forward, to rotate in a second direction, opposite the first, with its associated joystick pulled back, to free-wheel with the joystick in neutral, and to brake dynamically when the foot pedal is released. The motors are each connected through one of two reduction gear trains to one of the wheels. The motors spin at the same speed in each direction.
A caster wheel is provided on the perimeter of the body behind the axle and a seat is disposed over and behind the axle nominally to distribute the driver's weight over the driven wheels and the caster wheel. Because the motors spin at the same speed and all three wheels are located roughly on the circumference of the same circle, with the driver positioned at or near the center, minimizing the vehicle's moment of inertia, the vehicle can spin very tightly and very efficiently about a central, vertical axis.
A general object of this invention is to provide a child's ride-on vehicle steered directly through manipulation of the power train. The invention eliminates ordinary methods of steering control, where a steered wheel is redirected relative to the vehicle body via a steering column, in favor of a point-there-go-there technique wherein the driver can change the heading of the vehicle at any time and then drive the vehicle along its heading.
It is another object of this invention to provide a vehicle which the driver can spin in an optimal and unlimited manner about a central axis. Another object of the invention is to provide such a vehicle with a separate motor and gear train for each wheel for ease of manufacture and assembly. The motors each have a permanent-magnet stator and an armature winding, and both motors are powered by a single battery, for clean, efficient, long-lived, and safe operation.
A further object of the invention is to provide the spinnable vehicle with a centrally positioned, low seat that is surrounded on three sides with near vertical, close-fitting side walls which extend nearly up to the child's shoulders and provide arm rests to give the child maximum body support during erratic or rapidly-changing maneuvers. A further object of the invention is to provide a skid pad opposite the caster wheel to arrest forward tipping of the vehicle under extreme braking or engine-reversing.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide the vehicle with armrest-mounted joysticks and a foot pedal that disables the joysticks until the foot pedal is depressed to prevent inadvertent operation of the motors while entering and exiting the vehicle. A further object of the invention is to provide the vehicle with motor dynamic braking regardless of the position of the joysticks for controlled stopping of the vehicle. A still further object of the invention is to provide neutral positions for the joysticks allowing freewheeling of the motors for coasting with both joysticks in neutral, or gentle turning with one joystick in neutral.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood after a consideration of the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred and alternative embodiments.